Richard Dix is a harmless playboy until trouble calls and with the assistance of Boris Karloff and Paul Hurst he becomes The Reckoner in RKO’s The Public Defender (1931).
Gentleman’s Fate (1931) Starring John Gilbert and Louis Wolheim as Unlikely Brothers
Gentleman’s Fate (1931) is an MGM gangster effort overshadowed by the relationship between the John Gilbert and Louis Wolheim characters. Directed by Mervyn LeRoy with good work from Anita Page as well.
City Streets (1931) Starring Gary Cooper and Sylvia Sidney
A look at the most stylized of the 1931 gangster movies, Rouben Mamoulian’s City Streets (1931) from Paramount, starring Gary Cooper and Sylvia Sidney.
Classic Movie History Project: 1931 – Stars Emerge
As part of the Classic Film History Project Blogathon a look at the brand new stars and popular film cycles that dominated Hollywood in 1931. Gangsters and newspapermen, horrors and fallen women abound. With list of major studio releases for 1931.
Helen Twelvetrees is Millie (1931) – With Joan Blondell and Lilyan Tashman
Helen Twelvetrees stars in pre-Code sizzler Millie (1931). Millie leaves her husband after she catches him cheating and she puts monogamy behind her once her boyfriend is caught with another woman too. Can Millie be an independent woman in 1931 and protect her daughter from an even more perilous relationship?
Five Star Final (1931) Starring Edward G. Robinson
Mervyn LeRoy’s Five Star Final (1931) stars Edward G. Robinson as the managing editor of a trashy New York newspaper that resurrects a 20-year-old murder case for circulation. A Warner Bros.-First National production adapted from the play by Louis Weitzenkorn. Also starring Marian Marsh, H.B. Warner, Frances Starr, Boris Karloff and Aline MacMahon.
Murder by the Clock (1931) Starring William “Stage” Boyd and Lilyan Tashman
Tough to find and thus underappreciated, Murder by the Clock (1931) is an early mystery thriller highlighted by Lilyan Tashman, a creepy tomb alarm and a few surprising twists.
The Sin Ship (1931) – Astor’s Frisco Kitty Makes for Holy Wolheim
Written for The Mary Astor Blogathon, The Sin Ship (1931) stars Astor with Louis Wolheim, who also directed what would be his final film prior to his tragic death in 1931. Also starring Ian Keith and Hugh Herbert.
Paramount’s 24 Hours (1931) with Clive Brook, Kay Francis, Miriam Hopkins
Paramount’s Marion Gering gives us Louis Bromfield’s 24 Hours (1931) in just 66 minutes. Featuring an alcoholic Clive Brook, fashionable Kay Francis and Miriam Hopkins belting out a pair of songs in a pre-Code drama ripe for rediscovery.
Safe in Hell (1931), Talkie Triumph for Tough Dorothy Mackaill
Safe in Hell (1931) nearly starred Barbara Stanwyck, but no matter as Dorothy Mackaill makes the part her own. A bit about the film and what happened to this otherwise forgotten star.